A critical factor for bicycle seat design is known to be the ability to provide maximized comfort for the user. This is not only achieved by using a suitable saddle pad, but also by being able to adjust the seating position to best fit the rider's body conformation and his/her riding preferences.
Means are currently available for anchorage of the saddle to the seat post, which consist of rigid members, typically two metal rods, e.g. made of steel or an alloy, which are stably connected to the lower support of the saddle, and are longitudinally arranged at a proper distance from each other. These rods may be secured to the saddle and the seat post by various mechanical connection means, such as plates, fastened by nut and screw assemblies.
These prior art arrangements have the apparent drawback of only allowing height adjustment of the saddle by acting on the seat post only, and of not allowing appropriate positioning thereof along the longitudinal axis of the saddle. Therefore, the user is prevented from taking an optimized riding position, fitting his/her body conformation, or from changing such position as a function of the particular aerodynamic conformation to be achieved, as might be required, for instance, in descents.
In an attempt to obviate the above drawbacks, certain arrangements have been proposed, in which the lower element of the saddle is anchored to the seat post using essentially mechanical means, which allow the rods below the saddle, thence the saddle connected thereto, to slide along the longitudinal axis of the bicycle saddle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,624 discloses a saddle assembly in which the lower support of the saddle is connected to the seat post by means of a tubular member which has a forked rear portion and is secured to the lower support of the saddle at three fixing points. This rail is connected to suitable fastening means that are anchored to the seat post by an assembly arrangement adapted to also allow longitudinal adjustment of the saddle.
This arrangement has the apparent drawback of not allowing quick and simple adjustment of the saddle position and of further requiring the user to perform inconvenient assembly and dismantling operations, using special tools, such as screw drivers or wrenches.
Furthermore, the tubular member, which is removably connected to the saddle support, may disengage therefrom with use.
Also, the provision of the connection assembly between the support and the tubular member undoubtedly adds bulk to the overall saddle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,561,578, which forms the basis of the preamble of claim 1, discloses a bicycle saddle in which the connection with the seat post is achieved thanks to a single longitudinal rail, which is formed integrally with the support and is attached to the seat post by suitable horizontally acting anchor means.
In practice, this arrangement has proved to be insufficiently safe, since the horizontally acting anchor means tend to disengage relatively easily, especially after being used for a rather long time.
Moreover, the above saddle has the undoubted disadvantage of not being able to evenly and effectively support and distribute the load of the cyclist's weight, whereby excessive stresses may be exerted on specific regions of the body, particularly on the ischial region.
Furthermore, an improper distribution of the cyclist's weight may cause damages to the connection assembly, possibly leading to collapse.
Finally, a common drawback of the arrangements described above is the excessive height of the saddle—seat post assembly, which is uncomfortable and unpractical for a user. This problem is particularly felt when the seat post is a suspension seat post, in which the suspension assembly is excessively bulky.